Closely bunched Colonial League tight to the end

Back in early December, coaches talked about the Colonial League being more competitive than ever. Seven or eight supposedly had a shot at winning the title, they said.

Realistically, however, four teams emerged from the pack and stood out front most of the season and those four will be playing tonight at Northern Lehigh as the league tourney gets underway.One team went 15-3 and the other three went 14-4 and these games could be as close as those records.

Each teams brings something different to the table.

Wilson probably plays the best defense. Notre Dame may offer the most balance. Southern Lehigh has the league's most dynamic player and Catty may have the best outside shooting. And even with their obvious pluses, each of these teams also possess a few flaws.

Back in early December, I picked Notre Dame and Catasauqua, two teams who lost in last year's semis, to reach the championship game and I had the Crusaders winning. Should I stay with that, or change the script?

Notre Dame looked to me to be the best team in December, and then Wilson and Southern Lehigh took their turns at the top.

Now, maybe, it's Catty's turn to shine.

How do I see tonight's games?

Notre Dame 68, Southern Lehigh 64: I saw the Spartans dominate ND in this same spot last year and they whipped up on them again earlier this season. The Crusaders have been inconsistent over the second half of the season and have had defensive lapses. Still I like ND's overall team balance. Cory Schmidt is always capable of striking for 30+ points, and if he does, SL wins again. But at this time of year, the teams that generally win are the teams with more balance and the Crusaders have the edge there. Plus, Solehi gave up a lot of points in its two overtime games last week. This is not the time of year to slack off defensively.

Wilson 53, Catasauqua 49: The Warriors bring a lot of bodies and can be very physical. Catty has two excellent players in Corey Huerta and Josh Case and some nice role players surrounding them. This game will be a lot about tempo. Wilson will want to keep it slow and not get in a run-and-gun situation with the Roughies because Catty has more offensive firepower. If Roughies grab lead in the first half, I like their chances because I don't know if Wilson has the offensive punch to rally. But I see Warriors methodically wearing down Catty and finding a way to neutralize Huerta. It's hard to believe Wilson has never won the CL title. This could be the Warriors' year, finally.